http://www.ebay.com/itm/Strange-Disc-Brakes-Rear-Solid-Rotors-4-Piston-Calipers-Chrysler-8-75-Kit-/370714950484?hash=item5650553b54&item=370714950484&pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr
Another thing you can do with those VW calipers is remove the handbrake hardware, gut the piston, and seal the hole with a pipe plug. The handbrake isn't strong enough to actually hold the car stationary anyway, right?
iadr wrote: It's road legal, and I'd prefer to keep it that way, plus on a manual trans car I use the parking brake. Those calipers have use right up to the Audi A8 with minor variances. Why would they not hold the car stationary.
It just seems that for VWs you need to put it in gear when parking because the handbrake is useless, and then the mechanism sticks so you have to replace the calipers again. (The A8s I've seen had vented disks back there, and boy howdy are those calipers expensive...)
While I do have discretionary income, I'm not sure that Strange kit is a good value on something thats a daily driver.
Just some tongue in cheek parts linking. Actually, I have a couple customers who DO daily drive on those things at all four wheels, and they seem to hold up okay. I wouldn't do it myself, as those calipers have no dust boots, but MAN they are light. A rotor and caliper together weigh probably less than an OEM slide-on rotor. I don't think you can go lighter without going to some expensive Sprint-car hardware. (But those slotted octagonal titanium rotors sure do look nice)
Get a piece of 1/4" steel, cut to fit caliper of your choice - cut other end to fit axle tube (with enough space in between to fit rotor diameter of your choice. Fit it all up, weld bracket in place. Or if you go with GM calipers, the brackets are $15 for a pair, calipers are about $20 without the e-brake (there are lightweight wilwood versions, more expensive stuff with integrated e-brake or you can add a stand-alone mechanical e-brake). I wouldn't worry about weight too much for a DD and it will be a bunch lighter than the drums.
for cheap rotor source - lincoln mk VII, mustang, explorer...
You probably can't use integrated calipers on rotors with drums in them because the pads are usually shaped differently. The drum takes up diameter so the braking surface is usually a lot smaller, so the pad ends up significantly shorter in height. Something to think about.
Do catalogs with brake pad outlines still exist? That'd be a quick way to see what might be happy with what.
I realize that weight is a concern, but have you thought of Miata calipers? The VW calipers are prone to corroding under the dust boots and siezing in record time, whereas Mazda seems to have used some form of sorcery on the Miata calipers since I've never seen one fail yet. Not that it can't happen, but that's a mite unusual.
I just picked up a Ford 7.5 out of a 95 V6 Mustang. Sweet little disc brake setup. Slip on 10.5"X1/2" solid discs and calipers with integral parking brake lever. If this thing had a limited slip and wasn't a 2.73, I be narrowing it and throwing it under one of my TR8s. Looks like it would be cheap and adaptable to use as a conversion on any drum brake rear end.
1/4" bracket is probably on the overkill side of things - 3/16 would work too - the 1/4" was strong enough for discs on a ford 9" rear with heavy steel wheels and 36" off-road tires in a 4500 lb trail truck. Welding on to the axle put a little heat distortion into the bracket on the old bronco (and the MG too). Re-aligned with a 3 lb hammer (I'm a finesse playa 
). Even wear on the pads so the important bit of being square between the caliper and rotor is right on.
I like tr8todd's thoughts on the 7.5. There's lots of junkyard solutions that will get you converted to discs. Also check out circle track catalogs for other ideas. There are some bolt-on/clamp on caliper brackets out there too.
tr8todd wrote: I just picked up a Ford 7.5 out of a 95 V6 Mustang. Sweet little disc brake setup. Slip on 10.5"X1/2" solid discs and calipers with integral parking brake lever. If this thing had a limited slip and wasn't a 2.73, I be narrowing it and throwing it under one of my TR8s. Looks like it would be cheap and adaptable to use as a conversion on any drum brake rear end.
The V8 8.8 rear uses the same brakes as the V6, if I remember right. At least 99-04 does, not 100% positive on the 94-98 ones. So you could upgrade later to the 8.8, which would be a limited slip setup.
2nd gen RX7 rears.
The calipers are aluminum and incorporate a parking brake.
The rotors are either non-vented or vented depending on which model you take them off of.
They are the right bolt pattern.
They are cheap and easy to get.
In reply to wvumtnbkr:
2nd gen? Isn't that an IRS? What years we talking about here.
Yes it is IRS.
I was just talking about the 5 on 4.5 really light disc set-ups. Not the entire rear end.
Sorry for the confusion.
86 through 91
Sorry! I got excited and carried away, down a tunnel vision IRS path I am on. I was thinking incorrectly Supra/IRS.....My Bad. and thanks for the help wvumtnbkr & pres589. T 
I am confused.
So did the OP get a SRA from a pick-up truck or not?
Is this an update of sorts?
The OP's post mentions live axles exclusively. Solid, stick, whatever. Not IRSen.
okay gotcha.
If you are looking for a light rear disc braking system, the RX7 is where is it at. If you are looking for an entire IRS system, beware the 7!
Here's a pic of the 4 lug '86-'91 RX-7 brakes installed on a 4 lug Ford 8.8, redrilled rotor to fit a 4 lug Mustang axle...
The 5 lug '86-'91 RX-7 has a 5 on 4-1/2" lug pattern, and uses the same brake offset for the bracket as the 4 lug version.
Jeep Wranglers and most Cherokees have 5 x 4.5 bolt patterns. Lots of aftermarket stuff available for those. I have no idea on the weight issue though.
First gen Camry solara solid rear rotors slip over the end of the axle perfectly. I went this route doing a disc swap on my 93 2wd when I had to destroy the drums to remove them. Not sure what the weight was on them
You know, I don't remember. It's possible we did open them up.
The only reason to use a solid spacer over a crush sleeve is they are easier to install if you don't have to tools to properly crush a sleeve. It's not going to make the rear any stronger unless you have enough power to bend the pinion stem.
You'll need to log in to post.
